Never Meant Nothing
by Kani-sama
Summary: My first non-Skullgirls fic to be here. I intend to finish it and my others as they go on, so consider it a muse starter. This stars The Madarai Brothers, primarily Isshiki, and a lot of it is speculation, headcanon, and AU stuff. T for crude language and Danganronpa level violence, may go up. ((MAJOR DR 0 SPOILERS))
1. Chapter 1

The giant of a bodyguard was staring down a girl who appeared to be just wrapping up middle school. She was rather fit for her age, and her chestnut hair framed a heavily made-up face in a way that he couldn't stop observing. She had a particularly autumn coloured gyaru style, and a prominent pout on her face.

"Hey, big guy! Can you, like, move it? I'm trying to catch up to someone, here."

The "person" she was referring to was undoubtedly his current client, the Super High School Level All-Star, Leon Kuwata. She had been following the two for some time, and he had been docile up to now, but this had gone on long enough. Confrontation was needed.

"I am afraid I cannot allow that. You have been following my client for quite awhile now…"

"Oi, oi, Madarai," a voice called out, cutting off anything the bodyguard might have wanted to add, and prompting the stalker to light up in ecstasy, "Relax, already. It's just my cousin…"

The girl planted her hands on her hips, looking up at Madarai. "Is this /really/ the guy you hired? The world's best? He's totally whack."

"What's whack is you still saying 'whack' like it's a thing, Kanon…" Leon retorted, rolling his eyes. Madarai was silent, partially to evaluate the situation a bit, and partially because he refused to call the girl by anything less than her full name. Leon seemed to pick up on this, indicating such with a load groan. "Kanon Nakajima, my cousin, Madarai."

Madarai perked up a little, bowing deeply at the other, "Kanon Nakajima, it's nice to meet you."

"Uhhh….right. Anyway, Big Brother, you need to get to practise!"

Leon scowled significantly at that, he couldn't stand that word in the context of baseball. "Didn't we have an agreement, Kanon? 160 kilometres an hour, or you can't do this sorta thing."

Madarai quickly bristled, fingers slightly curled in on themselves. "She isn't supposed to be within your vicinity? Shall I escort her away?"

Leon quickly raised a hand to the other, putting him on standby, "Nah, nah. She'll leave just fine, alright? We just had a little deal, is all."

"A deal?"

Kanon's turn this time, looking a tad...dismal. "I need to throw a baseball 160 kilometres an hour before he'll acknowledge me. Fine, fine, I'll go…." With that, she gave the bodyguard a nasty look before taking off.

Madarai turned towards the all-star, a hairless brow raised. "Permission to speak freely, Leon Kuwata."

"Whatever, and cut that full name thing out, Jesus…"

"Perhaps a bodyguard shouldn't be involved in the family affairs of his client...but I can't help but wonder why you would keep your cousin at bay. Family is...well, a family is one of the most concrete things a person has...blood runs thicker than water."

"The one time you wanna stop actin' like a robot...jeez. Look, Madarai, you don't get it, Kanon wants me to /acknowledge/ her, y'know? I mean, she's working the whole "it's legal" card." He gave a brief pause, and glared up at Madarai, "Who are you to talk about that?! Aren't you an only child?!"

"I am, but that doesn't disqualify me from having a view on such things."

"What happened to an ideal bodyguard settin' it aside for a client?!"

"That's why I asked to speak freely, and isn't that something you want me to do more?"

Leon, defeated, rolled his eyes, "Oh fuck you, Man. Just see if I sign another contract when the month ends. Just see, Man."

"I suppose I will," Madarai said with a dismissive wave, as the two resumed walking.


	2. Chapter 2

The end of the month had rolled around, and as Madarai expected, the hotheaded all star had renewed their current contract. Not that he minded any, Leon was a fairly fun client with plenty of people after him, unaware of their fate as mere prey. Stalkers, exes, the list of people to watch for was extensive (for now, anyway). The two were presently in the recreational room of Kibougamine Academy's main course building, where Leon was fumbling around with a mess of cords in hopes that he could eventually figure out which went into the practise amp and guitar he had nabbed from the music room.

"With all due respect, Kuwata Leon, you've been at this for awhile now, perhaps we should consider attending class, instead."

"Why? Classes don't even frickin' matter as long as we pass the practical exams." Leon paused for a moment after saying this, as something dawned on him, and he whipped around to face the giant in the corner of the room.

"Wait a sec! Who're you t' tell me I should go t'class?! You follow me when I do, an' we're in different batches! Y'ditch class everyday t'stand next t'me!"

Madarai paused for a moment, as if his hypocrisy was just as much news to him as it was to Leon. This resulted in a bit of a pause, for scripting, before he gave his reply.

"...You are completely correct, but I am your bodyguard, and therefore sworn by my obligations to rarely ever leave your side."

Leon rolled his eyes at this, "Can you just slap that response on anything? Honestly…"

"Yes. It's basically my purpose, after all."

"Don't yah ever get tired'a all that, though? Don't y'wanna get a girlfriend or somethin' while y'still can? I mean sure, y'ain't the /best/ lookin' guy, but there's always that one person." He gave something of a snicker before he continued, "I'm sure that tongue'd get yah some popularity."

Madarai seemed to choke on his saliva a bit at the last part, he got comments like that a little too frequently, and they always flustered him. "I wouldn't have the time for such things...a bodyguard has little time to themself, and even less for a significant other."

"Ah, come off it. Seems like you're always in at least two places at once, anyway…" It was then an idea struck him, a way to get the bodyguard to drop the overbearing and reserved air about him, and solve a completely different issue in one fell swoop. "In fact, that gives me an idea."

"An idea?" He didn't like the look on the all star's face, not at all. Something about it was uncharacteristically cunning, as if the Leon had revealed a true talent nothing short of the Super High School Level Puppetmaster.

"You'll see, big guy….you'll see." He then snapped back to his usual self, a huge smile plastered onto his face, "Hey! Got the amp hooked up! Time for the concert!"

The bodyguard's face was a mask for a bottomless vortex of suffering as he had to listen to Leon's "music," not even his general suspicion of most being able to penetrate the awful noise cramming his head. Leon's plan was safe for now.


	3. Chapter 3

"You're gifting me what?!" The voice of a well off looking fellow inquired.

"Lissen, Uncle, I'm giftin' yah my contract with this guy, he's dirt cheap and never relaxes. Ever." Leon stated, staring down the owner of said voice from across the table before him, Madarai standing dutifully by his side, deeming it inappropriate to voice any objections from within the office of a rather prominent television station. He had known Leon was related to a wealthy executive, but he hadn't imagined it was to this extent.

"You there, Madarai, is it? Is all this really allowed?"  
"Of course. It is stated in the finer print under Section 3, Article 5 that all contracts are completely transferrable with both parties' signatures if I am present."

"Don't say.." came the sole reply of Leon's Uncle, reading over the contract a few times, just to be sure everything he was seeing was as it should be. "Well, this all seems wonderful, 'could always use a little more protection, someone to watch my daughter when I'm busy and such… Consider yourself hired, Madarai." With that, the man signed where needed, and reclined into his chair some.

Madarai took a brief moment to read over the signature before tucking it away and speaking. "I look forward to a most prosperous and long standing business relationship with both you and your family, Iro Nakajima," the giant would then take a deep and humble bow towards the man before him, beginning his new term as a bodyguard, the beginning of Leon's "idea," and the resuming of Leon's freedom from an overbearing giant insisting on tasting all his food for poison.


	4. Chapter 4

"Whack!"

He actually had to stifle a groan at this one. He's had plenty of clients with contempt or attitude before, but this was just ridiculous.

"Well, if you're going to be around me all day, I might as well put you to some use. Come on, we're going to the old baseball diamond."

"Are you a baseball player as well, Kanon Nakajima?"

He didn't expect the response he got, a look with so much venom, he had to consciously avoid bristling. He could feel hairs he didn't even have stand on end.

"I'm Big Brother's manager, now come on." This time, he followed wordlessly.

Something about this girl's demeanour caused a few flags to stand on end, peg her as unstable. Sure, he was basing it off intuition, but mentioning such to him would prompt a smug grin, and a dismissive statement regarding "a few aces being in a few sleeves."

"Hurry up, already! How are you gonna do your job from way over there?!"

Needless to say, she was shocked when someone his size was standing in her shadow in a near blink, but rather than comment, she resumed walking.

Meanwhile, at Kibougamine, Leon was dozing away under the comfort of a courtyard tree, completely unaware of the grossly narrow eyes watching him.

((Sorry about the short chapter and hecka long hiatus! Hopefully school and job hunting will calm down, and I can work on everything regularly, but for now, please excuse me trying to get my feet wet again, so to speak! Love and positive energy!))


	5. Chapter 5

From the trees was Madarai, or /a/ Madarai, better said. This was the second of the enigmatically synchronised brothers, Nisshiki, who had taken to watching Leon on Isshiki's behalf. Isshiki, well known for his paranoia-bordering vigilance, had felt something terribly amiss with this contact transfer. Why had he been sent off to a relative Leon tried to avoid whenever possible? It didn't make sense, and so Nisshiki watched.

And watched….

And watched….

Hours had passed before Leon finally awoke and began to move. _How lazy can one person be?!_ Nisshiki wondered, _He's just now starting to move, and the day is nearly over!_

His mental ranting quickly took a backseat as Leon left the stalker's field of vision. He mustn't lose sight. Even the slightest lapse in vigilance could spell failure. Excessive? Perhaps, but it was all he knew, now.

Leon, oblivious to it all, meandered about until his stomach gave a low rumble. Taking nature's hint, he started for the cafeteria. Upon entering, he grabbed what he wanted, and took a seat next to the wild haired shaman sitting by his lonesome.

"Kuwata!" the other said, a wide grin gracing his stubbly features, "You come here for a reading, Dude? I'm running a special! A reading and exorcism are 2% off with a 35% interest rate! That'd go great with your .0001% friend discount!"

Leon couldn't help but scowl as the other rattled off numbers and percents. As far as he was concerned, his friend was a con. "No thanks, Hagakure. I'll pass."

Hagakure hid a small huff, looking off to one side, "I knew you would...I've got incredible 33% accuracy."

"RIght…"

Hagakure would shove a great big mouthful of pudding into his mouth before speaking, scratching at one hairy leg, "So! Where's Madarai, Dude?"

Leon shut an eye for fear of projectile food, scowling some, "Dude, quit it! I had him transferred because I got tired of him breathin' down my neck every minute."

"Ahh...I knew that."  
"Sure…"

"No, really! Believe me, Dude! The spirits are speaking to me!"

"Yeah? Just /what/ are they sayin' this time, Hagakure?"

"I see….I see….!" as Hagakure began to shut his eyes, his body would tremble. Leon couldn't help but lean forward, admittedly invested.

"You're going to have a relative! An overbearing relative! Shackles are breaking! Lives are taking!" He'd grab Leon's shoulders at this point, eyes intense. "Stay away from white cheeses!"

Leon stood in shock, wide eyed and pale skinned. Part of that, despite his suspicions, actually sounded legitimate.

"That'll be 25,000, Dude!"

"/What?!/"


	6. Chapter 6

There was a reluctant shuffling of bills as Hagakure was handed his fee, his latest "client" grumbling the sort of thing that simply can't be written here if a T rating is expected to be kept.

"There's yer money, yah crook. Now how about actually explaining half of that?"

"Uhh….a premonition doesn't necessarily come with SparkNotes, Dude. Even if they did….I kinda flunked English again…."

"Well try and figure it out!"

"Alright, alright! Let's see…" Hagakure proceeded to sit cross-legged in his seat, scratching at his stubble in thought, "Maybe if I had some context...I could figure this out for you. No charge."

"Oh, gee….thanks…" Leon rolled his eyes, but watched his tone. The last thing he needed was to upset Hagakure and make him shut down.

"White cheeses," the shaman repeated, an eye shut in contemplative thought, "maybe you've developed lactose intolerance?"

"I had milk this morning and feel great…"

"Uhh…"

Leon perked up a bit, snapping his fingers, "Hey, you said an overbearing relative, right? My cousin is as overbearing as it gets!"

"Your cousin? Yeah...that might be it...does your cousin like w-"

"Can we move off the white cheese for a sec?"

"Right. Got it. Lives are taking...and shackles are breaking….so someone is getting set free somewhere…"

"I /did/ transfer Madarai's contract. That's certainly some freedom."

"Amen to that. Maybe that's gonna somehow free you up from more in your life."  
Leon slammed down a joyous fist, beaming at the idea! "That's it! I gave his contract to my cousin! She's gonna be so busy dealing with him, that neither of them can bother me for the duration of the contract! I'm free! My life is /taking/ off!"

"Or someone died."

Leon's face and mood both dropped like a dense stone, turning to Yasuhiro in bewilderment. "Died?"

"Lives are taking could very well mean that someone died, Dude."

"Oh….."

"I'm just saying….proceed with caution, and buy one of my-"

Leon shot a glare, nipping the pitch at the bud. "Is someone dyin' or not?" Yasuhiro turned back to the crystal ball, gently nibbling his lower lip as he stared.

"I'm gonna say….no."

"Tch….scarin' the shit outta me like that. It felt like eyes were on me the whole time." This statement prompted a confused blink from the shaman.

"You felt eyes on you, too? It wasn't my reading, though. I've felt them since you sat down."

"Don't say…" Before the conversation carried on much longer, though, the doors could be heard closing, and the looming sensation was gone.


End file.
